Article of furniture



Oct. 14, 1941. D D, WALDO ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed May 7, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. @orofizy .Dry M/a/da BY Oct. 14, 1941. D. D. WALDO 2,259,145

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed May '7, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 z fl M J w 1 Z J l 6 H z f 4 1 a m m ,w w 0 5 j l h l J J m l n I: 1

Patented Oct. 14, 1941 ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Dorothy Derby Waldo, Grosse Pointe Farms,

Mich

Application May 7, 1940, Serial No. 333,802

1 Claim.

This invention relates to furniture, and it has to do particularly with a piece of furniture in the nature of a desk or dressing table or the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an article of furniture which is composed of structurally separate units or sections and yet which, in assembled form. has a construction which presents an upper or top surface and end sections for resting on a floor or other support, with the top surface and end sections cooperating to form an intermediate or central opening or knee hole. To this end the upper section is comprised of sub-sections interconnected together preferably for an articulating movement so that the upper section may itself be collapsed into compact form. The structure preferably is such that it includes compartments advantageously in the form of drawers disposed in the end sections or one of the end sections and in the top section, and in this connection compartments may be located in the sub-sections of the top section.

The article of furniture is advantageously and preferably of steel construction, and the fact that the sections may be separated and the top section collapsed into compact form makes the structure one which can be easily moved, transported or stored. A structure for carrying out the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled article of furniture constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken through a joint formation in the upper section.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View illustrating how the upper section is constructed.

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the upper section in compact form.

Fig. 6 is a somewhat enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of one end structure.

The desk, dressing table, or other similar article, as shown in Fig. 1, includes an end section I advantageously of sheet metal, and an end section 2. These end sections advantageously have supporting members which are inset as illustrated at 3. One 'or both of the end sections are provided with compartments which are preferably in the form of drawers 4. As shown, both end sections have drawers, but in some instances it may be preferred that only one end section be provided with drawers. The sheet metal construction of the end sections has upper or top surfaces 5. These upper surfaces may be provided with means for cooperation with the upper section for centering and holding the same in proper relationship, and such means as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 take the form of raised parts 6 which may be formed directly in the sheet metal and which may be located adjacent the rear of the sections as illustrated.

The topsection is designed to rest upon the two end sections with the end sections in spaced relationship thus to form a. relatively central opening or knee hole as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The top section is in sub-sections, including a center section in with two end sub-sections H and I 2, and these sub-sections may be provided with compartments advantageously and preferably in the form of drawers as shown at M. As shown, all sub-sections are provided with drawer compartments, but this can be varied within the scope of the invention.

The sub-sections of the top are preferably interconnected with each other so that the several sub-sections combine to form the complete top surface of the article, yet permitting the relatively long top section to be placed into a compact position for handling, moving, storing or the like. To this end, the end sub-sections are preferably pivoted to the central sub-sections at their lower meeting edges, as by means of a hinge construction 16. This hinge construction may be what is commonly termed a. piano hinge. The hinge formation, as shown in Fig. 3, may advantageously be inset somewhat as illustrated. When the top section is in use the end sub-sections II and I2 may rest upon the end sections l and 2, as shown. A rigid construction is thus provided because of the meeting of the sides of the subsections as shown in Figs. 3. We refer to the side walls I la; and Mia. Moreover, the top section may have the lower metal surfaces thereof provided with indentations l8 for receiving the teats or projections B to thus hold the sections positioned in proper relationship.

When the several sections of the piece of furniture are to be separated for maneuvering or storing in any desired manner, the top section may be folded into a compact body as shown in Fig. 5. This is accomplished by the sub-sections H and I2 swinging on their hinge mountings in the manner shown in Fig. 4. Thus the two end subsections and I2 come together edge to edge and lie flush against the bottom surface of the sub-section Hi. If desired, suitable straps or other holding means 20 may be placed around the compact form and passed under the handles of the drawers. It might also be said that the drawer handles 2| of the top section, and for that matter of all sections, may be disposed in recesses 22, to provide a flush surface so that there is no protuberance.

Thus an article of furniture is provided in the form of a desk, dressing table, or other table for that matter, and which may present the convenient drawer-type compartment, and the sections of which may be separated for any purpose. Indeed, the entire construction may be built up of a very few different parts. For example, the end sections I and 2 may be substantially identical so that from a manufacturing standpoint only one structure need be made. 7

Moreover, the end sub-sections II and I2 may be identical so that from a manufacturing stand- I point only one such end structure need be manufactured. The article of furniture, however, has but a single central section Ill, the width of which may be greater than that of the end sub-sections and due to which different machinery for shaping the same may be required in its manufacture.

I claim:

An article of furniture comprising, a top section including a central sub-section and two end sub-sections, said sub-sections each having a sliding drawer therein and having uniform vertical dimensions in excess of the vertical dimensions of the drawers, a piano type hinge connecting the lower transverse edges 'of the central subsection with one lower transverse edge of each end sub-section, the transverse faces adjacent the hinged edges adapted to abut each other when the sub-sections are extended whereby the subsections present a substantially fiat top surface, the combined width of the two end sub-sections substantially equaling the width of the central sub-section, and said end sub-sections being foldable through substantially against the underside of the central sub-section with transverse faces of the end sub-sections substantially meeting each-other to provide a compact form for storage Orshipment, two independent end sections having drawers therein and of the same height and arranged to be positioned under the 'said end sub-sections when the top is extended,

to provide a knee hole formation under the center sub-section, the center sub-section being disposed entirely between the end sections and rigidly supported thereby by the hinges extending along said lower transverse edges of the sub-sections, and indexing means on the top of the independent end sections and on the under side of the end sub-sections of the top-in the form of interfitting projections and recesses integral with the sections for positioning the two independent end sections under the end sub-sections of the top.

DOROTHY DERBY WALDO. 

